Tea Time Tuesday

It's another Tea Time Tuesday.  And the Sun is shining,  and we are at the patio table. 

This tree in my neighbors yard is in full bloom. A little early but so pretty.  

Tea 

In the pot Darjeeling tea

Our library book... 

Daisy’s Tea Garden is one of the many attractions in Pennsylvania’s Amish country—and when Daisy herself isn’t serving tea, she’s making sure justice is served . . .

When Daisy Swanson arrives at Rumple’s Statuary shopping for a birthday present for her beau Jonas, Wilhelm Rumple’s cottage looks like something out of a fairy tale, reminding her of the Storybook Tea family event she’s planning. Even the man himself—short and stumpy in overalls with bare feet—seems like a storybook character. But as a businessman, Rumple is rumored to be as cold and hard as the statues he sells.
 
Maybe that’s why, following a break-in at his cottage, Rumple is found dead in a dog run behind Four Paws Animal Shelter, bashed in the head. Now it’s up to Daisy to get the residents of Willow Creek to spill the tea on a little man who may have had some big secrets, so she can find a stone-cold killer . . .
 
Includes delicious recipes!

Mini cheesecake bites

 

For the fruit compote and syrup

• ½ cup mixed raspberries, blackberries and blueberries
• 1 ½ tsp lemon juice
• 1 tbsp sugar

For the cheesecakes

• 8 small biscuits e.g. shortbread, ginger nuts etc.
• 1 egg
• 1 cup cream cheese
• 2 tbsp melted butter
• 2 tbsp caster sugar
• 1 tbsp cornflour (cornstarch)
• ⅓ cup soured cream
• ¼ tsp vanilla essence
• 1 ½ tsp lemon juice

Instructions

 

• First make the syrup and compote. Place the berries, 1½ teaspoon of lemon juice and 1 tablespoon sugar in a small saucepan and simmer over a moderate heat for 2-3 minutes until soft. Strain into a jug and squash the fruit thoroughly. Reserve the syrup and the squashed fruit compote separately.
• Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F).
• Use paper cupcake cases to line 8 muffin tins or mini pudding basins. Place a biscuit into the bottom of each cupcake case and set aside.
• Separate the egg. Whisk the whites to soft peaks and set aside.
• Put the egg yolk into a mixing bowl with the cream cheese, butter, caster sugar, cornflour, soured cream, vanilla and lemon juice. Beat well to combine into a thick, smooth batter.
• Add the whisked egg whites and gently fold in.
• Transfer half of the mixture to a separate bowl. Add the squashed berry compote to one of the bowls, and gently fold in. Now divide this mixture between the 8 prepared cupcake cases. Gently tap to level the mixture.
• Carefully divide the plain cheesecake mixture between the cases, taking care to cover the berry layer. Again, tap gently to level.
• Drip dots of the berry syrup onto the surface of the mixture and use a toothpick to swirl or make patterns.
• Bake the cheesecakes at 180°C (350°F) for 12-13 minutes, until just set.
• Remove from the oven and allow to cool for a few minutes before transferring to a cooling rack until cold.
• Eat immediately or store in the fridge and consume within 2 day

My Thrift Store find : Remade

I bought this pretty cup and saucer at my local thrift store for $1. I used contact glue from the Dollar Tree to glue the bottom of cup to bottom of the saucer. Let dry.